Apple macos sierra

Back in September 2000, Apple changed from a purely proprietary operating system, Mac OS 9, to a BSD Unix-based operating system, Darwin. It was the birth of OS X. Now, almost 16 years later, Apple is changing the name of its desktop operating system to macOS Sierra, but the operating system behind the new title remains essentially the same. That's not to say there aren't any significant changes. There are. According to Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering, "macOS Sierra is a major update that makes your Mac smarter and more helpful than ever with improvements to the apps you know and love and great new features throughout". He continued, "With macOS Sierra, you can get information, find files and multitask using Siri, access your desktop and documents from anywhere, copy and paste between Macs and iOS devices, and rediscover precious memories in Photos." So much for the generalities. Let's get to the specifics. First, as everyone expected, Siri, … [Read more...] about ​The good and bad of Apple macOS Sierra

Although it may seem strange, Apple’s MacOS is at heart an open-source system. Apple is one of the most profitable companies in the world and yet the core components of the operating system driving its Mac line is made up of freely available software.Called Darwin, these open-source components include major parts of the MacOS kernel, portions of BSD Unix, and various drivers. As such, Apple has always made these open-source software bits available for download ever since OS X 10.0 was released, and now the company has made MacOS 10.12 Sierra’s Darwin available as well, according to 9to5Mac.Darwin isn’t the only Apple software that the company open-sources. Java for Mac is also available for download via the OpenJDK project created in partnership with Oracle. Also, the company’s newest programming language, Swift, also has an open-source version, increasing its appeal to students and others who otherwise might not have access to the language. Efforts such as … [Read more...] about Open-source Darwin now available to download for Apple MacOS Sierra

Apple’s MacBook Pro lineup is getting a bit long in the tooth. The Cupertino company’s ostensibly top-tier laptops haven’t seen an update since 2015, and many still sport Intel’s aging Haswell chips — two generations behind the company’s latest silicon. But rumor has it the MacBook series is due for its most ambitious upgrade yet sometime this year, and developer references in Apple’s latest MacOS release, Sierra, lend credence to those rumblings.Specifically, recently published API references on macOS Sierra’s developer website hint at new hardware in the rumored MacBook Pros. One with the colorfully descriptive “kHIDUsage_LED_DoNotDisturb” would seem to point to the presence of a physical “Dot Not Disturb” button on the upcoming laptops (on current-generation Macbook Pros, Do Not Disturb can only be toggled in software, within the macOS notifications pane. The … [Read more...] about Apple’s MacOS Sierra documentation hints at Touch ID support, OLED touch bar in MacBooks

When I first heard Apple was bringing Siri to the Mac, I didn't believe the enhancement would prove that useful. But, properly wielded, Siri proves to be a surprisingly helpful feature. The trick is to know Siri's desktop and laptop capabilities, as well as the feature's limitations.Don't ask Siri to close an application. She can't—she's not allowed. She'll offer a quick apology, and that's all you get. And, it makes sense—I'm confident Apple precluded the ability for fear of losing unsaved data or accidentally closing an application in the middle of a critical process.You also shouldn't try using Siri in noisy environments because, odds are, she's not going to be able to understand your commands—and, you'll look a little strange talking in public to your computer. But when you're in the privacy of your office or another quiet location where the audio won't prove disruptive to others, Siri will pause background programming long enough to provide a fair shot at … [Read more...] about How to maximize using Siri in macOS Sierra

The new revision of MacOS Sierra has just been released by Apple. MacOS Sierra 10.12.4 is now available for Mac users, but before you install it, here’s the lowdown on the new features.It’s not a major update, so there’s no need to rush to install it. When you do decide to do so, be sure you back up your Mac’s data first.The major new feature in MacOS Sierra 10.12.4 is Night Shift, which made its debut in iOS 9.3. Night Shift is available on the following Macs:MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or later)MacBook (Early 2015 or later)MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or later)Mac mini (Late 2012 or later)iMac (Late 2012 or later)Mac Pro (Late 2013)With Night Shift activated, your Mac’s display adjusts its colors so it uses less blue light and instead uses what Apple calls “the warmer end of the spectrum.” You’ll notice a yellowish cast on your screen when you use your Mac at night. During the day, your Mac will go back to using more blue light.If you have a … [Read more...] about Apple releases MacOS Sierra 10.12.4: What’s new in the update

Maintaining sufficient disk free space is a long-running challenge that became more difficult when SSDs—typically possessing smaller storage allocations—arrived. Fortunately, storage management tools ease the strain. Apple's recently released macOS Sierra operating system includes new storage optimization features that simplify managing and freeing disk space. You can access these file management and storage tools by clicking the menu bar's Apple icon, selecting About This Mac, and clicking the Storage tab to access the Manage button. The Manage button opens the new disk management utilities (Figure A). Figure A macOS Sierra includes disk management features to help Mac users administer file storage and free space. macOS Sierra provides recommendations, which include storing all Desktop and Documents folders in iCloud. Clicking the Store In iCloud button prompts the operating system to store files from those locations in iCloud and keep only recently opened files on the … [Read more...] about How to maximize disk space using macOS Sierra’s new storage management features

Almost every new operating system introduction is preceded by significant marketing hype. While loading beta software and release candidates used to bring me joy (what can I say, I was younger), time and experience have demonstrated it's often best to wait and load new OSes on production systems only once the new OS is finally released to, you guessed it, production.Thus, September 20th found me dutifully downloading and installing macOS Sierra on the MacBook Air upon which my daily business operations are often dependent. Apple's OS upgrade process always impresses me with its ease and simplicity. Users need only open the App Store and click the prominently featured macOS Sierra banner. Follow the prompts and, depending upon your system (assuming it's of reasonable vintage and qualifies for the upgrade), and you should be booting into macOS Sierra quickly. SEE: Screenshots: A complete roundup of new macOS Sierra featuresFollowing the macOS Sierra upgrade, numerous independent … [Read more...] about First impressions of working with macOS Sierra

Continuing with its yearly release cycle for hardware and software, Apple released macOS Sierra, version 10.12 of its popular operating system, on September 20, 2016. The download is available from Apple's Mac App Store, and it clocks in at just under 5 GB. This macOS is supported on computers manufactured in 2010 or later. While the process of upgrading to macOS Sierra is pretty easy for consumers, IT administrators may have a more difficult time getting this update to all the end users they support. To facilitate this upgrade process, creating a bootable USB installer drive helps get this deployed quickly for SMB environments. IT admins for enterprise environments might look toward other distribution methods, such as DeployStudio. SEE: macOS Sierra: The smart person's guide (TechRepublic)8 GB USB flash drive (or SD card) Install MacOS Sierra.app (the installer downloaded from the Mac App Store) Apple computer with Mac App Store (10.6.8+) User account with administrative … [Read more...] about How to create a bootable USB installer for macOS Sierra

the most seasoned Mac users sometimes need to access Windows applications to get their work done. While the two ecosystems were at odds with each other for most of their early days in the enterprise, there are now many options for Mac users who need to access a Windows app or server. Tools like Parallels and Virtualbox are popular among users but, for years, one of the standard applications for connecting the two systems is the Microsoft Remote Desktop connection. And, fortunately, the process for downloading and using the Microsoft Remote Desktop on macOS Sierra is fairly straightforward. Here's how. Note: If you want to access Microsoft Remote Desktop on an older version of Mac OS X, check out this article instead. As with most modern Mac applications, Microsoft Remote Desktop is available for download through the Mac App Store. Go to the icon Dock on your desktop and click the blue "App Store" icon to open it. Inside the Mac App Store, type "Microsoft Remote Desktop" … [Read more...] about How to access Microsoft Remote Desktop on macOS Sierra

[Editor's Note (9/20/2016): MacOS Sierra was released to the public today. Users can install the update by downloading it directly from the Mac App Store, or wait for it to be installed via the standard Mac Software Update utility shortly.] MacOS Sierra, the latest version of Apple's desktop operating system, packs new features to help you get things done. The updated platform includes new security features, better file management and the introduction of Siri — Apple's virtual assistant app, previously available only on iPhones and iPads — to the desktop. Here's a rundown of the features that will benefit business users. Siri has been a boon to mobile workers for years on the iPhone and iPad, but it's only with the release of MacOS Sierra that the virtual assistant app is coming to the desktop. Siri can be launched manually by clicking an icon located on the top-right corner of the screen, or summoned with a voice command. From … [Read more...] about MacOS Sierra: Top Business Features